


Substitute

by Shadow_of_Quill



Series: Replacement [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 05:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8044189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_of_Quill/pseuds/Shadow_of_Quill
Summary: Someone or something that takes the place of, or is used instead of, another





	Substitute

The world r e w r o t e i t s e l f

**Substitute me for him**

Papyrus stretched out, arms and legs splayed wide.

No up, no down, no walls, no ground, no **thing** except the Void.

He was vaguely aware that that didn't _have_ to be true - Gaster had been aware of the Underground, had watched, had even been able to interact in a limited manner.

Papyrus didn't want to. This might not be the complete dissolution he'd been hoping for, but it was close. And if he found a way to die here, it would be _exactly_ what he wanted!

...Except for the fact that Flowey was trapped here with him. _But,_ being here meant Flowey couldn't reset, so it was for the best!

It was good that Gaster was free of the Void.

It was wonderful to be free of the role everyone's assumptions forced him into.

And until he completely believed that, Papyrus wasn't going to go looking into the Underground and see how much better it was with Gaster there instead of him.

**Substitute your lies for fact**

~~Sans lives with his brother.~~ Sans is a tenant in Dr. Gaster's house in Snowdin.

 ~~Sans thinks he's the only one aware of resets.~~ Sans is part of the team Dr. Gaster has gathered to work on understanding the Anomaly.

~~Sans has three or four jobs.~~ Sans is officially one of Dr. Gaster's assistants. Unofficially, he wonders if this is some strange form of pity - he hasn't really done much to deserve the role, not when there are lots of eager monsters who'd fight for the chance to work with Dr. Gaster and Dr. Alphys.

(Sometimes it seems like Dr. Gaster is so invested in him from some odd sense of duty... but Sans has no idea why he _would_ be. It sounds weird, ungrateful, even in his head, so he never brings it up.)

~~Undyne has a friend in Snowdin.~~ Undyne doesn't let herself feel lonely, doesn't let herself think how much fun it would be to have a training partner. Part of her thinks she should find a student, someone to train for her position, but no one stands out as good enough. If they're too intimidated by her to ask for training, they're too wimpy to be worth it!

~~Snowdin is a cheerful town.~~ Snowdin isn't a bad place to live. It's rather dull, staid - sullen, in a way - but it's not _bad_.

No one can explain why it seems emptier than it should.

**The simple things you see are all complicated**

~~Sans has never had a brother.~~ P͡͡a̧̢͘͠҉p҉̷̧y̵̸̢̢̨r̶̢̡͝ų̢s̶̷̷͘͡ ̸̶̢͡l̴̡͝é̵̕͟͠f̡͡͝t͏,̸̀́͟͢ ̸̕͜҉d҉̡į̷̷͡ş̸a̴̶̷̧p̵̨̡̀p̴̡e̸̕͝a̛͢͝ŗ̷̷́͘í͟҉҉ņ́g̛̕ ͏̡͡i̴̷̢͜ń̨̧͝t̡o҉̶̨͞ ̧̧͞t̶̡͘͠h͢͝e͝͠ ̶̢V͠͠o҉̨̛͞į̵d̀͝͠҉

 ~~Dr. Gaster has always lived in Snowdin.~~ H̡e̷ ̶̵͠ḿ̨͘͡o̵̕v́̀ȩ̡̢͠d̸̛ ̴҉͢͜f̶̢̛͜r̷̛̀ǫ̸̷ḿ̨̛ ̵̢̛͞H̸́o͝҉t҉̵ļ҉͘a̶n̷̶̸d̸̷͟ ͠͡͏̀t̕҉͏̢͜o̶̕ ̸̵̢̀ţ̶̧̛͟h҉e͢ ͘͏͘͝V̶̧͢ǫ̕í̶̛̛d̵͏́͝. H̡͘e̡͝͏̸ ́͘͜҉҉ĺ̵͏͜e̴̕͟͞f̶̧̀t̛͢ ̸̶͜t̡͠҉̴h҉e҉̡͘͟͞ ̵͡͞V̸̴o͡į̶d̶̕ ̸̴á̶̕͢n̢d̴̴̡ ͏̢̛f̵̢̛͢i̴̛͘͞҉l͠҉l̴͠ę̴̛͝͡d͏̢ ̡̧̀̕͜(̧̛̕͝ś̴̕ǫ́m̷̷̡̛͞è̵͞ ̵̴̸̨͝ò̷̕͢f̶̵̀)̧҉̴̛̕ ̕t̡́͢h̷̢̡̀é͜ ̨͏s̛͏p̷̡̡̛͘a̷̡͢͝c̛͡e͘͡͝ ͘͟i̸̢̧̧ń̨ ̛͏̨S̵̷̀n̷̴͢͢͠ơw̷͟͜d̵̶́͠í̸͜͜͞ń͝͠͝.̷̵̷̡̡

~~The Anomaly has only occurred when a Human is in the Underground.~~ H̡̀̀͜͞u͘͢͟͜ņ̸͠d̵̢̀́r̵͝͝͞e̸̛͘d͟҉͜s̀͜ ̶̴̧̡ó̢͏f̴̸̶ ͏̡̨͡Ŗ̷͡u̶̕͏͞҉ņś͢͜ ͢҉̀͝͏l̴͏҉ớ̶͟͝ş̡͘͜t̨̛͜ ͏͏̢͠҉t̴͜͠o̶̷͠͡ ̛́n͠ơ̷̵̷n̵̢̡͟҉e̕͝x̨̢̧̀i͘s̸̢͟͝t͡e͡͠n̛͏̧͢c͏̧͡͝é́̀̕͝.̨ T̴̢̕͡h̢͘̕͝è̸͜ ͜͜D̶e̴̛̕͠͠a̴̸͞d̴́͘͡ ̵̴̨̛́Ṕ̷҉r̷̴͞i͘n̵͏̵̕͢c̡͜e҉̡͜͟͠ ͏҉̷̛͞w̡͞į͘͟͡l̕͞ļ̷͘ ̛́́̕҉n͘͡ę̶́҉҉v̨̨͢e͘͘̕͝r̵̵̢͝ ̸s̨͝͠͡p̀͝͏͞e̕̕͠ą̶͠k̵̢ ̨͘͟t̸̡͝͞o͢͡ ̨̧͞h̸̢̛͏͜i̴̶̛͠͠s̛͘͟͞ ̴̢̕͜p͢͏̨a͞҉r̷͜͜è̡̧͞͡n̸͢t̨͟s͢͜ ̛̀̀ą̷͜͜͢g̡̢̕̕͢a̸̵i̛̕͠n̡̛̕͞͝.̸̀͏͞

~~Alphys never bore the sole responsibility for the creation of the Amalgamates.~~ A͢͞͏͟҉ļ̸̴̡͜p̨̧̀͝h́͡y͢s͠͝͡ ̀͟ń͝͏̵e̷̛͘v͏̶͜͠e̛͠r̨̛ ̢҉͠ù̷͠͏n̷͜͢͝d̀͠e͠҉͝҉r̵̵͜͠ş̵t̢̨̢̢̡a̧͜n̡̛̕͞d͞͏̧͜ş̷̡͘͞ ̀͢͏ẃ͝h́͘͟y͢͢ ͞s̷̡͘h̨͘e̸̛͢͟͞ ̸͞f̴̡̨̨͏ę̴͞͝ę̸̷̕l̶͠s͟ ̨̡́͠l͟҉ì͝͝͠҉k̀͘҉͠͏e͏͡ ̧̡͝ś̶̵̛͠h҉͟e̸͠͡'̴̷̛̕͠s̷͡ ̸̶ẃ͘͠a͡í̶̛t̕͞͝ì͜͞͏n̴̸͟҉g҉͏̧̧ ̴̡̨f̨́͢҉̶o̡̧̨͜r̸̴̕͝ ̸͟͞a̴̢͢ ̵̕̕͜n͝͏ę̴͜͟ẁ̸̛ ̧͞c̷͘͘͟͞o̴̕n̷̡͘͘t̷̕͟a̵҉̷̕c̀̕͟t̡̨̛͞ ̛͟͡͝҉t̷̷̨͢͝ǫ̕͞ ̡́͘͟͏a̕͜p̸̧͘͘p͝͏͟e͢͞҉̷a҉̛r̀͏̸̶ ̸̴̡̛ò̵̶̷͝n̴ ̶́͏t̴̷̀͟͡h̢͜͝ȩ̴̶ ̛͏̸̀U̢͏n͠͞d̴è҉̀͝r̵̷̢ń̷̴è̶̴̵t̶̴͜͡.́͟

~~Things are better now.~~ ͝ ̵̢̛͏҉ ̶̡͜͟ ̸̛͟ ҉ ͠ ̷̴͠ ͜͝ ̶̧ ̸̡́ ̴̕̕ ̶͘ ̕͡͏ ̢̢̛́͘A̕͟͏͝r̴͢͏͟͡è͘ ̴͞t̴̵́͘h҉̀҉̡i̶̴͟͏҉n̷̛͟͝͠g̴͘͡͡ś̡͘ ̸̢b̕͢͡͝͏é̕͠͞t̛̕t̵̸̷͘͡e͜r͘͟ ̸̴̨ņ͟͡ò̢w̕͠?͟͝͡ ̢̨́҉̨ ̶̴̨ ̵̢̀ ͝ ̸̧̕͜ ̸̛͞ ͢͠ ̶́͘͢ ͜҉͏̧͢ ̛͟͞͠ ̀͟͞͠ ͜͝

**It's a genuine problem you won't try to work it out**

Four of the scientists in the True Labs refuse to meet anyone's eyes.

Things are better now.

Things... _are_ better, now.

... Things are... better... now...?

 

("How can we fix this?"

"We can't.")

**I'm a substitute for another guy**

Gaster throws himself into bringing the barrier down.

He was brought back by someone who genuinely believed he could do more for the Underground than they could.

He has to prove them right.


End file.
